1795–1820 in Western fashion

Uncommon card · No. 180652

Fashion in the period 1795–1820 in European and European-influenced countries saw the final triumph of undress or informal styles over the brocades, lace, periwigs and powder of the earlier 18th century. In the aftermath of the French Revolution, no one wanted to appear to be a member of the French aristocracy, and people began using clothing more as a form of individual expression than as a pure indication of social status. As a result, the shifts that occurred in fashion at the turn of the 19th century granted the opportunity to present new public identities that also provided insights into their private selves. Katherine Aaslestad indicates how "fashion, embodying new social values, emerged as a key site of confrontation between tradition and change." For women's dress, day-to-day outfits were practical and relatively simple. Women's fashions followed classical ideals, and stiffly boned stays were abandoned in favor of softer, less boned corsets. Over the gown, for warmth, shawls were...

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